A tale of boats and relationships
by MissDeLys
Summary: A post season 7 story. Lorelei has a choice to make...do she chicken out or does she take the chace? Rating will most likely change over time.
1. Chapter 1

**A tale of boats and relationships**

Okay its been more than a year since the show died. Killed and wrecked in an awful season seven. A season that could have dealt with so many of the Java junkie-relationship issues that season six pulled over their head.

But no sadly they gave up and abandoned the original thought of the show and we ended up with a season, in which no one ever did manage to give us what we where craving so badly. A real goodbye and not the Disney version, with really bad of character like dialogue.

Watching the last episode I doubt there ever truly where any doubt of weather there was gonna be an eight season. But this plot has been lurking in my head and despite several hints and suggestions to my favourite writers on this site, not one of them did pick up this idea. So here it is.

(And I don't care if I butchered the English langue. I'm Danish and if I ended up writing it in Danish even fewer people would get what I babbled of.)

Charter 1 - Jump Jack Jump

It was cold, and she found little warmth from the coffee cup she was clutching in her hands. She nervously scanned the surroundings and kept glaring at her watch. She was hesitating. Considering her choices. But what It all came around to was weather or not she would have the courage to do it. The seagull where flocking the early fishing boats, and she looked at her watch for the tenth time in just a couple of minutes.

There was so much to gain by doing this, but it was also dangerous. Where was Rory and her pro and con list when she needed it. Somewhere in XXXXX, and that was just one of the reasons to ad to the pro side of the list. Her daughter was grown up, and she needed to start living her life again.

No matter how hard it had been to let her daughter go, to send her on that plain five days ago and then turn around and walk away. Of course they ended up talking to each other on the phone three hours later, but no matter how much they both pretended it, it wasn't the same.

The days up to her department had been really stressful and they had passed way to quickly. She was still amazed but Luke's effort in arranging the farewell party, and he had kissed her. Told how he wanted her to be happy. No matter how much they had hurt each other the past year, he had understood her that well and arranged this for her daughter.

It scared her so much. That even after this year, through everything, he still understood her so much. That all it took was that deep look in her eyes and she would melt again. And part of her knew she loved him. Not the silly schoolgirl crush or the "goood" his handsome attraction. No it was the deep rooted gut thing that he once mentioned at a film night. The one that could get you on the biggest emotional roller coaster ride of your life, and you would never want to get off it. Even if you got sick once in a while because of the g forces.

But still she hesitated. After the kiss in the street at the bon voyage party, they had been interrupted by friend and family, by obligations to watch a grill or to socialize with it. But I hung there in the air. They had both taken the first step but neither knew how to take the next. And both scared to death. No matter how much they both wanted to mend the broken hearts they both knew where wide open for both of them.

She fidgeted with the charm on her necklace. The one Luke had given her at they party. She wanted this so badly and all she needed to was to walk 100 meters down to the yacht that was bobbing up and down, by the dock, lulling in the slow rhythm of the slow morning waves. She looked at her watch again. It was 7.59. In less than one minute, Luke would throw the ropes that held him here and sail on a four week long boat trip.

After the kiss, they had only spoken briefly when Luke had shown up at her front porch at 2 am at night to give her the necklace. They hadn't spoken any words at all. Without any explanations he had pulled the velvet box out of his back pocket and given it to her, gently brushing his lips to her cheek and then turned around and walked away, leaving Lorelei speechless alone on the porch. She loved the necklace. It matched her eyes, and it reminded her so much of the first necklace he had bought her.

After that, nothing happened. Lorelei went to the diner, and he even went to the house to fix the dryer for her. But it was like walking in slow-motion. They didn't know how to take the first step. It was polite talk, by two people that was both so afraid to go wrong on something they wanted so badly.

So 24 hours after the initial kiss, Lorelei had walked home to find a letter in her mailbox.

It plainly said: The ships sailing Saturday at 8 am. 4 weeks of not looking back or backing down. Are you all in? Luke.

A bell rang in the background and she hiked up her bag and sprinted down the bridge leading down to the small yachts, and she was almost tearing up when she didn't se Luke anywhere. Then she saw it, he had named it after her, and she climbed aboard only to see Luke standing by the tiller.

He looked at her emotionless for a couple of seconds then said. "you are late" . then pause before he gave her at small genuine smile

"welcome on board".

This was chapter one….am I headed for the guillotine or should I continue this? Any one want to edit this pleas let me know.


	2. Welcome on board

**Chapter 2 - "welcome on board"**

AN: Okay. I got pretty good responses to this. Better than what I previously have received for my earlier stories and a lot more of it. I still need an editor (hint) though. Perhaps I should look into how the Beta thingy on the site works anyway.

I was torn, weather or not to continue this. First, because I felt that the story had taken me a bit differently than I planned narrating wise that is. Secondly because I felt it was a pretty strong one shot, especially with the end of the chapter.

Reality is that the first chapter was written in 15 minutes or so, and then I added 5 minutes for loosely edited the worst typos and grammars. So it ended up as a test of what I wanted to do, and I ended up liking it a lot more than I had thought I would. This although took a lot longer. I felt that I had to make an effort if I decided to take this to the next chapter.

But what convinced me to continue this is the fact that it all along was meant to deal with what the writers in the show forgot to. Because while I liked the Disney films, there's not much Disney theme vibes in Gilmore girls if you ask me. So here we go…

This chapter starts where we left of last time:

He looked at her emotionless for a couple of seconds then said. "you are late" . then pause before he gave her at small genuine smile

"**welcome on board"**

He reached for her bag, and placed it besides his feet's. They stood staring at each other. Trying to read each other. Then Luke broke the silence. " I meant it, I'm really glad you came" then he made a gesture towards her, and she instantly moved back., it was pure reflex and not what she had intended. He looked puzzled and hurt, but quickly sobered up. This made thing all the more awkward, and she quickly reached out and hugged him but the whole situation made this hug stiff and impersonal.

How did thing become like this between them again?. After the whole Jeep Affair, as Sookie referred to it, she had thought they had gotten their rhythm back again. She nervously played with the beads of her necklace and looked around the deck. Desperately trying to find the right thing to say her mouth went dry and she could think of nothing. She wanted to soothe the brief look of disappointment she had seen in Luke's eyes, but it was like she didn't know how to take the first step.

Ever since the kiss on the night of the Bon Voyage party they both got paralysed by their nerves. But one of them needed to take the first step. When she had found Luke's note in the mailbox, she had gotten exited. The doubt weather or not to go on this trip had never been about the trip it self but on their relationship. Weather or not she would have the strength to get to another round of them breaking up. But now the awkward feeling between them, made four weeks alone on a small yacht seem like the most scary thing in the world. But she would have to deal with it. Soon they would be on the open sea and then there would be no option to run away.

"So now that I'm here, where are we going sailor? She said trying to get the conversation going with the only way she knew when she was nervous. Humour. He smiled and his face lit up again. She moved towards him and sat down on one of the seats next to the tiller that he was expertly turning while once in a while casting quick glances out on the sea, and waited for his reply.

" I thought we would tour down the coast, and take a couple daytrips into the mainland.. You know I still have the reservation for that lobster place you recommended to at that time…Barna something" he said trying to remember the name.

"uh Barnacal Billies? You're serious? Yeaaah…" Lorelei started a little dance jumping up and down. " I love that place"

"yeah " he said shyly, then turned serious " As I recall it I'm pretty fond of Lobster myself. " he said and gave her that look. The one she had been missing the most. The "I've been pining for you for 8 years" puppy look. It always made her melt. It was the core of the whole gut thing. And it made her loosen up again. The sight of Luke comfortable steering the ship out into the ocean with an experienced sailors routine, fascinated her. He looked so in control, so at ease. And she told herself that no matter how hard this was going to be, how much she would want to jump overboard and avoid dealing with this the adult way, this would be possible and worth it all.

They had been sailing for awhile and Lorelei where starting to feel restless. "Can I try" she asked, and he looked puzzled at her, until she gestured toward the tiller. He just nodded and gestured for her to stand next to him. She gripped the wheel and looked up at him awaiting further instructions. He leaned in from behind her and gripped the wheel with her, and began to show her how to steer the ship, that swiftly and lightly adjusted to the alternations she made with the tiller. The ship bobbed slowly up and down, and the wind was breezing lightly through her hair.

This was the best feeling she had had in a long time, and it was not the steering thing that made her feel like that. It was him. And her, them. She could smell him, feel his slow breathing and more than once got lost in her thoughts and the feeling, forgetting to pay attentions to Luke's directions. At one time his hand lightly touched her arm, and it sent shivers through her. It was almost electric. She turned her head to look at him at got stunned by the confident smile he was giving her. He was feeling it to.

"Okay lunch time" he said after another ½ hour, and picked up her bag and walked down the small steps leading down towards what would turn out to be a small lounge followed by a small kitchen. He gestured for her to follow him, and then he was out of sight.

"Ahm…Luke, what about the ship? Are we pulling a Speed2?" she said and quickly followed him into the cabin. " because even though I think I would make an excellent Sandra, I've seen that move and that boat didn't made it for a third movie, and…", she paused when she reached the cabin. It was bigger then she had thought walking on the deck. " wow" she simply stated and moved next to him looking everywhere at once.

"Why don't you take a look at the situation" he said gesturing to the cabin "and ill make us some lunch". She nodded already studying the room. It was simple and efficiently decorated. But he had managed to put his own few touches on it.

" You did bring coffee right " she suddenly turned to him, it never occurred to her to remember to bring it herself. He dropped her bag on the floor and went to the fridge and started to pull out a bag of coffee ground and started to make her coffee. She sighed dramatically and they both grinned. It was starting to get familiarly again between them."

" the coffees on, and will be ready in a couple of minutes, just explore the boat while I work here" he said and began his carefully administrations to the ingredients he had pulled from the fridge, on occasion looking for things in the drawers and slicing things.

She turned around and started to inspect the environment that was going to be "their" home for the next couple of weeks. The cabin consisted of at fairly open room with a round seating lounge around a small table across a small but surprisingly well equipped kitchen, across from that there was another seating arrangements and further down the room was two doors. She opened the one on the left and saw that it was a bathroom with at hand held shower device. It was much more modern than what she had imagined for a ship like this. The last room contained a large berth on top of what looked like storage cabins.

" You want to unpack before dinner?" he said, suddenly appearing behind her, "There's a closet here" he said and pulled open a frame that she had not noticed before. "oh and don't worry, theres a makeshift bed out in the lounge, I figured you get this and I would sleep out there, dinners ready in five minutes". Then he went back to the kitchen. Leaving a stunned Lorelai behind. In the mix of it all she had never thought about the sleeping arrangement. But now she noticed that she felt kind of disappointed. It was to early for the physical part of their reconciled relationship but part of her wanted to lie close to him. To feel him, and listen to his heartbeat and light snore. She quickly recovered and started to unpack her things. She had packed lightly and was quickly finished, but took a few moments to gather herself, while mentally playing the mantra in her head…" one step at the time".

Okay…this was chapter two…review, and please someone feel the craving to edit this. It needs a natives hand on it.


	3. One step at the time

Chapter 3

One step at the time

Finishing unpacking her bag, while gathering her self, she quietly returned to the cabin and silently watched Luke making dinner. He was so stoic. So calm, and strong. So why was she a nerve wrack Was it just her that felt like this, what was the matter with her. They had always know how to act around each other. Both as friends and especially as a couple. And she was not shy, normally she could always say something that would get the conversation flowing.

She wasn't good at the dealing with reality part of her feelings, and she knew that this up close and personal with Luke, it would be impossible to mask her insecurity, he would see straight through her. She wanted this so badly, so why did she constantly get the urge to bolt. To run, and never have to deal with this. Maybe part of it was because she knew that dealing with the reality of their breakup would bring up issues that could not be joked away. That she would have to let down the careful built up facade that had been placed there for a little over a year now.

"You want help ?" she asked and walked back into the room, and smiled when he gave her a look. Okay sure she wasn't really any good in a kitchen but still, she needed to find something to do with her hands, before she went insane.

"Plates?" she asked and he pointed the closet out for her and she started to set up the table. When the pasta was finished, Luke dried it of and placed it on the now festive decorated kitchen table. They sat down at the table and started to eat in silence. If the greeting on the deck had been awkward this was painful. She kept steeling glances at him, and often when he would catch her doing it, she quickly looked down on her food.

" Don't worry. Its going to get easier" he said before pouring her some more white wine, which she gladly accepted. She looked worried at him for at couple of seconds. "How do you know that?" she asked quietly. He stood up to start clearing the table but was surprised when Lorelei stood up to and flung herself at him for at comforting hug. "how do you know that?" she fragilely asked him with begging eyes that had a single tear running down her chin. He reached a finger to her chin and gently removed the drop before placing a featherlight kiss on her forehead. " Because" he said. And something in it made her feel secure and believe him. He broke apart and looked down at her before in a strong but soft voice said "We have four weeks Lorelei. Lets not hurry anything. It takes time, you know " She hugged him close again and nodded against his plaid coved chest, taking comfort in his faith in them.

They started to clear the table and Lorelei offered to do the dishes (her favorite chore) while Luke changed for the evening. Shortly after he reemerged with a fleece windbreaker on and a blanket. "You need help" He gestured to the drying plates and she shook her head and said "Wanna watch the Sunset with me? Meet you on the deck in ten?" she said with a smile and he left. She quickly finished the last pieces and went into the room pulling out a warm sweater before heading outside to watch the sunset with Luke.


End file.
